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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bowl · snap · hand · bark · can · squash · march · cap

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. cap — of ice
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. snap — to click
  5. march — the month
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. can — a tin
  8. cap — a hat
  9. can — a tin
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. squash — to crush
  13. march — music
  14. cap — a lid
  15. march — the month
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. can — to be able to
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. squash — the sport
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — help
  24. bowl — to roll

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com